Cathedral Museum

Cathedral Museum

Introduction   The Cathedral Museum houses artworks from the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto's Bell Tower, and the Baptistery of San Giovanni. Since the late 19th century, these artworks and valuable architectural elements, originally displayed in the churches and outdoors, have been gathered here for better preservation. Because the construction of the cathedral, bell tower, and baptistery spanned several centuries, these artworks and architectural elements serve as an excellent source for understanding the development of Florentine Renaissance art.

Along the staircase leading from the first to the second floor is the museum’s treasure: Michelangelo’s “Madonna and Child,” the second of his three works on this theme.

Donatello’s wooden sculpture “Magdalene” (Magdalene) is displayed in the center of a room on the second floor.

The second floor also features the choir lofts built by the della Robbia and Donatello, which were relocated here from the cathedral. Both architecturally and sculpturally, they are significant works of Renaissance style.

The museum also holds important artifacts such as liturgical objects used from the 13th to the 18th centuries, the baptistery altar, the hoisting machine of Giotto's Bell Tower, a model of the cathedral’s dome, and its construction tools. Transportation   Address: P.za del Duomo 9, part of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Admission/Ticket Hours   Opening hours: weekdays 9:00–19:30, Sundays 9:00–13:45, closed on January 1, Easter, September 8, and Christmas. Admission: €6 (ticket sales stop 40 minutes before closing)

Florence, Italy